Hospitality media system operated by mobile device

ABSTRACT

A hospitality media system includes a media system controller and a plurality of controllable devices operable by the media system controller, each of a plurality of rooms having one or more in-room controllable devices. A communication module performs data communications with a mobile device. An authentication module receives identification information from the mobile device, determines a registered room currently associated with the identification information, and includes in an authorized subset of the controllable devices for which the mobile device is authorized to operate at least the in-room controllable devices of the registered room. The media system controller operates the authorized subset of the controllable devices in dependence upon commands received from the mobile device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/150,672 filed Jun. 1, 2011, which claims the benefit of CanadianPatent Application No. 2,709,651 filed Jun. 7, 2010. Both of theseapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention pertains generally to hospitality media and entertainmentsystems. More specifically, the invention relates to operating ahospitality media system from a mobile device.

(2) Description of the Related Art

In order to meet guest expectations, hotels must provide increasinglysophisticated media entertainment systems. However, the increasedsophistication inevitably results in increased complexity, and thus thesystems become “scary” to new users who may be unfamiliar with theoperation of many remotes and other equipment such as set-top boxes(STBs) and personal digital recorders (PVRs) that may be found in therooms.

To solve this problem, hotel media systems are designed to be“user-friendly”. This generally means control elements such as menus andcontrol buttons be as intuitive as possible such that a guest can easilyfigure out how to use the system without first having to readinstructions. However, regardless of how user-friendly a system mayactually be, it will still be regarded as new and therefore troublesomeby a guest who is unfamiliar with the system but who needs to learn itin order to enjoy their stay. Also, because the hardware vendors fordifferent hotels (even of the same hotel chain) may differ, the physicalappearance and other control aspects of in-room media and entertainmentsystems may also differ from hotel to hotel. Therefore, even if eachsystem is itself user-friendly, frequent travelers who stay at manyhotels may need to learn many different media systems. The process oflearning to use yet another hotel media system can detract from theoverall guest experience.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an exemplary configuration of the invention there isprovided a hospitality media system. The system includes a media systemcontroller, and a plurality of controllable devices accessible fromwithin a plurality of rooms of a hospitality establishment. Thecontrollable devices are coupled to the media system controller by acomputer network and are preconfigured such that each of thecontrollable devices is in communication with and remotely operable bythe media system controller via the computer network. The system furtherincludes a database storing an association between each of the rooms andone or more of the controllable devices that are accessible to a userwithin each room. The one or more of the controllable devices that areaccessible within a particular room are hereinafter referred to asin-room controllable devices of the particular room. The media systemcontroller is operable to generate a passkey in response to anoccurrence of a first event associated with the particular room, andstore in the database an association between the passkey and theparticular room. The media system controller is further operable tocause the passkey to be displayed on a display device located within theparticular room, whereby after being displayed in the particular roomthe passkey is entered into a mobile device by a user of the particularroom. The media system controller is further operable to establish datacommunications with the mobile device and receive the passkey from themobile device, and query the database to find the particular roomcurrently associated with the passkey received from the mobile device,whereby the particular room currently associated with the passkey isfound to be the particular room in which the passkey was displayed. Themedia system controller is further operable to query the database tofind the in-room controllable devices of the particular room foundassociated with the passkey received from the mobile device, and includein an authorized subset of the controllable devices for which the mobiledevice is authorized to operate at least the in-room controllabledevices of the particular room found associated with the passkeyreceived from the mobile device. The media system controller is furtheroperable to operate the authorized subset of the controllable devices independence upon commands received from the mobile device until anoccurrence of a second event associated with the particular room, andremove from the database the association between the passkey and theparticular room in response to the occurrence of the second event.

According to another exemplary configuration of the invention there isprovided a method of operating a plurality of controllable devicesaccessible from within a plurality of rooms of a hospitalityestablishment. The controllable devices are coupled to a media systemcontroller by a computer network and preconfigured such that each of thecontrollable devices is in communication with and remotely operable bythe media system controller via the computer network. The media systemcontroller has a database storing an association between each of therooms and one or more of the controllable devices that are accessible toa user within each room, the one or more of the controllable devicesthat are accessible within a particular room hereinafter referred to asin-room controllable devices of the particular room. The method includesgenerating a passkey in response to an occurrence of a first eventassociated with the particular room, and storing in the database anassociation between the passkey and the particular room. The methodfurther includes displaying the passkey on a display device locatedwithin the particular room, whereby after being displayed in theparticular room the passkey is entered into a mobile device by a user ofthe particular room. The method further includes establishing datacommunications with the mobile device and receiving the passkey from themobile device, and querying the database to find the particular roomcurrently associated with the passkey received from the mobile device,whereby the particular room currently associated with the passkey isfound to be the particular room in which the passkey was displayed. Themethod further includes querying the database to determine the in-roomcontrollable devices of the particular room found associated with thepasskey received from the mobile device, and including in an authorizedsubset of the controllable devices for which the mobile device isauthorized to operate at least the in-room controllable devices of theparticular room found associated with the passkey received from themobile device. The method further includes operating the authorizedsubset of the controllable devices in dependence upon commands receivedfrom the mobile device until an occurrence of a second event associatedwith the particular room, and removing from the database the associationbetween the passkey and the particular room in response to theoccurrence of the second event.

According to yet another exemplary configuration of the invention thereis provided a media system controller for operating a plurality ofcontrollable devices accessible from within a plurality of rooms of ahospitality establishment. The controllable devices are coupled to themedia system controller by a computer network and preconfigured suchthat each of the controllable devices is in communication with andremotely operable by the media system controller via the computernetwork. The media system controller includes a database storing anassociation between each of the rooms and one or more of thecontrollable devices that are accessible to a user within each room, theone or more of the controllable devices that are accessible within aparticular room hereinafter referred to as in-room controllable devicesof the particular room. The media system controller further includes oneor more processors configured to generate a passkey in response to anoccurrence of a first event associated with the particular room, andstore in the database an association between the passkey and theparticular room. The one or more processors are further configured tocause the passkey to be displayed on a display device located within theparticular room, whereby after being displayed in the particular roomthe passkey is entered into a mobile device by a user of the particularroom. The one or more processors are further configured to establishdata communications with the mobile device and receive the passkey fromthe mobile device, and query the database to find the particular roomcurrently associated with the passkey received from the mobile device,whereby the particular room currently associated with the passkey isfound to be the particular room in which the passkey was displayed. Theone or more processors are further configured to query the database tofind the in-room controllable devices of the particular room foundassociated with the passkey received from the mobile device, and includein an authorized subset of the controllable devices for which the mobiledevice is authorized to operate at least the in-room controllabledevices of the particular room found associated with the passkeyreceived from the mobile device. The one or more processors are furtherconfigured to operate the authorized subset of the controllable devicesin dependence upon commands received from the mobile device until anoccurrence of a second event associated with the particular room, andremove from the database the association between the passkey and theparticular room in response to the occurrence of the second event.

These and other embodiments and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings which represent preferred embodiments thereof.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hotel media system having controllabledevices being operated by mobile devices according to an exemplaryconfiguration of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an operational flowchart of the hotel media system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a mobile phone being one of the mobiledevices of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an operational flowchart of the mobile phone of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a hotel floor plan having multiple controllabledevices being remotely operated by various mobile devices according toanother exemplary configuration of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary data structure of a database for performingauthentication of the mobile devices of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates the media system controller of FIG. 1 being dividedinto a central controller and a plurality of local controllers accordingto another configuration of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates how commands received from a mobile device may bepassed from the media system controller to a set-top box in a guest roomin order to thereby control other controllable devices in the room.

FIG. 9 illustrates how commands from a mobile device may be receiveddirectly by an in-room STB in order to control other controllabledevices in the room.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary data structure of a multi-tabledatabase for performing authentication of the mobile devices of FIG. 5.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of how authenticationdata may be utilized by the hotel media system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hotel media system 100 havingcontrollable devices 130 being operated by a plurality of mobile devices150 according to an exemplary configuration of the invention. In thisconfiguration, a media system controller 110 includes an authenticationmodule 112 and a customization module 114 coupled to a communicationmodule 116. The media system controller 110 is coupled through a mediasystem network 106 to each guest room 102 and to a conference room 104.The media system controller 110 is coupled to and communicates with thecontrollable devices 130 and delivers media and entertainment contentthrough the media system network 106. Each guest room 102, 104 includesone or more in-room controllable devices 130 such as a set-top box(STB), personal video recorder (PVR), television (TV), projector, androom control box, which can each be operated by the media systemcontroller 110. In this example, the room control box allows electroniccontrol of elements in the room 102, 104 such as air conditioning,lighting, heating, fans, doors, windows, blinds, etc. Additionally, themedia system controller 110 itself includes a networked personal videocontroller (network PVR) being a further controllable device 130. Anynumber and types of controllable devices 130 may be positionedthroughout the hotel media system 100 in other configurations.

Guests of a hotel often have their own mobile devices 150 such as laptopcomputers, tablet computers, cell phones, music players, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, global positioning systems(GPSs), and all other kinds of personal electronic gadgets. These mobiledevices 150 may be coupled to the media system controller 110 through aguest accessible network 108 that is installed throughout the hotel andavailable to guests of the hotel, or through a public network 160 thatmay be available outside the hotel such as the Internet. In anotherconfiguration, the media system network 106 and the guest accessiblenetwork 108 may be the same network. Once connected to the media systemcontroller 110, the mobile devices 150 may operate one or more of thecontrollable devices 130.

In one configuration, a custom application 152 may be pre-included oneach mobile device 150 or may be downloaded and installed from the mediasystem controller 130 or another source if it is not already present onthe mobile device 150. According to the type of connecting network 108,160, the application 152 automatically detects the hotel media system100 and establishes data communications with the communication module116. The customization module 114 may then provide customizationinformation specific to this particular hotel media system 100 to theapplication 152. Examples of the information specific to a particularhotel media system 100 may include hotel name, branding logos, colorschemes, welcome messages, authentication methods, etc. The application152 utilizes this information to customize itself for this particularhotel and then identifies itself or its operator to the authenticationmodule 112.

Authorization limits implemented by the authentication module 112 inconjunction with a database 118 such as the hotel's property managementsystem (PMS) determine which controllable device(s) 130 may be operatedby a particular mobile device 150. After determining an authorizedsubset of the controllable devices 130 for which a particular mobiledevice 150 is authorized to operate, the media system controller 110transfers status information for the authorized controllable devices 130to the particular mobile device 150 and operates the controllabledevices 130 in the authorized subset in dependence upon commandsreceived from the particular mobile device 150. For example, in FIG. 1,a first mobile device 150 (Mobile device 1 in FIG. 1) may be authorizedto operate the STB, PVR, TV, and room control devices in a first guestroom (Guest room 1 in FIG. 1), and a second mobile device (Mobile deviceQ in FIG. 1) may be authorized to operate the STB, PVR, room control,and projector in the conference room 104. Therefore, the first mobiledevice will only be able to see status information from and sendcommands to the in-room controllable devices 130 of the first guestroom, and the second mobile device will only be able to see statusinformation from and send commands to the in-room controllable devices130 of the conference room 104.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary operational flowchart 200 of the hotel mediasystem of FIG. 1. The steps of flowchart 200 are not restricted to theexact order shown, and, in other configurations, shown steps may beomitted or other intermediate steps added. In this configuration, thehotel media system 100 performs the following operations:

-   -   Step 202: A connection is established between the hotel media        system 100 and a mobile device 150 in order to pass data between        the media system 100 and the mobile device 150. To ensure        privacy, the data flowing through the connection may encrypted        in both directions such that a third party will not be able to        read or understand any of the information. The connection may be        established via wired access ports such as USB, FireWire,        Ethernet, etc or wireless access ports such as using Bluetooth,        Wi-Fi, WLAN, etc, and, as previously mentioned, a computer        network used to make the connection may be a guest accessible        network 108 available only on the hotel premises or via any        public network 160 such as the Internet available from other        locations such as a wireless hotspot at a local coffee shop. The        connection to the mobile device 150 may be dynamically        established through any computer network access ports, and the        ports utilized may change as the mobile device 150 moves to new        locations. In general, any type of connection may be established        between the hotel media system 100 and the mobile device 150.    -   Step 204: The hotel media system 100 detects whether a media        system control application 152 is running on the mobile device        150. This detection may be performed by attempting a connection        to the mobile device 150 utilizing a predetermined handshake        protocol that is known only to the application 152.        Alternatively, the mobile device may simply identify itself and        include a version number of the media system control application        152 if it is installed and running on the mobile device 150 at        the time the connection is established.    -   Step 206: Assuming the mobile device 150 is running the        application 152, the hotel media system 100 may next transfer        customization information specific to this particular hotel        media system 100 to the mobile device 150. By way of example,        the customization information may provide any required        information and data to properly brand the user interface (UI)        of the application 152 and to enable or disable various features        according to what is supported by this specific hotel media        system 100. Transferring customization information to the mobile        device 150 is useful because different hotel chains may all        support the same mobile application 152 but will place their own        logos on the application 152 for branding purposes. Also, some        hotels may allow remote control of particular types of in-room        devices as part of the media system 100 and others may not.        Rather than transferring all the customization data, a        customization token corresponding to a specific hotel may be        transferred instead. In this configuration, customization        information for the hotel corresponding to the token is already        stored within the mobile device 150 and will be utilized by the        application 152. Transferring only a hotel specific token speeds        connection time for subsequent connections by the same mobile        device 150 when the full customization information has already        been downloaded.    -   Step 208: Because the media control application 152 was not        detected, the hotel media system 100 offers the application 152        for download by the mobile device 150. In one configuration, the        hotel media system 100 may automatically detect the type of the        mobile device 150 and offer a compatible application 152. In        another configuration, the media system 100 may provide a web        interface allowing an operator of the mobile device 150 to        select and choose a desired application from a list of supported        device platforms. In yet another configuration, the application        152 may be stored and made available from a third-party site        such as an application store. In this case, the hotel media        system may provide a link to where the application 152 may be        retrieved.    -   Step 210: If the user has downloaded the application 152 or at        least indicated they plan to use the application 152 (if the        application is available from a third-party), the hotel media        system will return to step 204 and continue trying to detect the        application 152. However, in some cases, the user of the mobile        device 150 may not wish to use a custom media control        application 152 and will instead opt to continue without        installing the media application 152. Some aspects of        controlling the hotel media system 100 are facilitated and        enhanced by running a media control application 152 on the        mobile device 150. One reason is the required data to be        transmitted will be minimized if the device 150 already has the        control application 152 installed. Another reason is automatic        detection, connection, and authentication with the hotel media        system 100 can be performed by an application but may need to be        performed manually by a user of a web interface. Also, better        integration with the UI of the mobile device 150 and background        operation are both possible with a custom application 150.        However, there is an advantage to not requiring users to install        and run the media control application 152. For example, by        providing a web interface to the hotel media system 100, full        compatibility with any device that is able to browse the web is        achieved. This may be useful to users who are unwilling or        unable to install a custom application 152 on their mobile        device 150.    -   Step 212: Because the mobile device is not running the media        control application 152, the communication module 116 acts as a        web server and a web interface is provided to the mobile device        150. Again, to ensure privacy and prevent unauthorized access        from third parties, the web interface may be encrypted using a        secure sockets layer (SSL).    -   Step 214: At this step, the hotel media system 100 determines an        authorized subset of the controllable devices 130 for which the        mobile device 150 is authorized to operate. Generally speaking,        the authentication module 112 receives some identification        information from the mobile device 150 corresponding to either        the mobile device itself or an operator of the mobile device 150        and then looks up in a database 118 to determine which        controllable devices 130 are permitted to be operated by this        mobile device or operator. For example, the authentication        module 112 may query a database 118 such as the hotel's property        management system (PMS) to make sure the guest's name, MAC        address, GSM SIM card number, passkey, and/or reservation number        are correct for a particular hotel room and authorize the user.        In this configuration, the database 118 includes data        associating the identification information with one or more        registered guest rooms and the authorized subset includes the        in-room controllable devices 130 that are accessible from the        room(s) for which the operator of the mobile device is currently        registered. Steps 216 and 218 may also be utilized, alone or in        combination, to receive the identification information        corresponding to the mobile device 150 and/or the operator of        the mobile device 150.    -   Step 216: The authentication module 112 may automatically detect        a unique identifier received from the hardware or software of        the mobile device 150. Some examples of unique identifiers        include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) subscriber        identity module (SIM) card number, media access control (MAC)        address, internet protocol (IP) address, web browser        identification from a previously stored cookie, media control        application 152 serial number, etc. The unique identifier of the        mobile device 150 can be mapped in the database 108 to the        authorized subset of controllable devices. In one configuration,        the authentication module 110 determines the registered guest        room currently associated with the unique identifier by querying        the database 108, which includes authentication data associating        the unique identifier of the mobile device 150 with a registered        guest room. The authentication module 110 then includes in the        authorized subset at least the in-room controllable devices of        the registered guest room.    -   Step 218: The authentication module 112 may receive user        information corresponding to an operator of the mobile device        150 such as guest name, room number, company name, address,        phone numbers, credit card number, passport number, etc. In this        configuration, the database 108 includes authentication data        associating the user information with the registered guest        room(s) for the user. However, identification information        received from the mobile device 150 need not be of a personal        nature and may also be implemented using usernames, pass codes,        or token numbers. For example, upon check-in, a guest may be        provided with a password for use when authenticating their        mobile device(s) 150 with the hotel media system 100. The        password may be randomly generated by the media system        controller upon guest check-in and stored in the database to        indicate the registered guest room associated with the password.        In this way, no personal identification information need be        supplied by the guest either at check-in or when authenticating        their mobile device(s) 150. Alternately, the authentication        module 112 may automatically display a passkey on an interface        such as a TV in the guest's room and ask the guest to enter this        passkey to confirm the guest is registered for the particular        room. This may be similar to the process used to pair Bluetooth        devices, except the medium for transport of data could be wired,        wireless, Bluetooth, cell, etc; and after receiving the correct        passkey for a particular room, the authentication module 110        includes in the authorized subset all the in-room controllable        devices of the guest room associated with the passkey. In        another advantageous configuration, receiving the identification        information corresponding to the operator of the mobile device        150 at step 218 may only need to be performed once per mobile        device 150. Once received, a unique identifier from the mobile        device 150 such as automatically detected at step 216 can be        stored in the database 108 with an association to the registered        guest room. For subsequent authentications by the same mobile        device 150, the automatic detection of the unique identifier at        step 216 may be sufficient to determine the registered guest        room and authenticate the mobile device 150.    -   Step 220: Once the mobile device 150 is authenticated, the hotel        media system 100 transfers any status information from the        authorized subset of the controllable devices 130 to the mobile        device 150, and controls the authorized subset of the        controllable devices 130 according to commands received from the        mobile device 150. For example, the status information may        include UI menus for each of the controllable devices 130 in the        authorized subset, and the commands received from the mobile        device 150 may include UI selections for operating each of the        controllable devices 130 in the authorized subset. At this step,        the authorized subset of controllable devices 130 may be        operated in accordance with commands received from the mobile        device 150.

Other steps may also be included such as if a user is not authorized atstep 214, actions such as providing an error message or other assistanceto the guest may be provided by the hotel's media system 100. Becausethe user of the mobile device is not authenticated, the hotel mediasystem 100 may provide only general services and information to themobile device 150 but no specific room control services until the mobiledevice 150 tries to re-authenticate. Control may proceed back to step214 when the mobile device tries to re-authenticate.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a mobile phone 300 being one ofthe mobile devices 150 of FIG. 1. In this configuration, the mobilephone 300 includes a user interface (UI) 312, a customization module302, a communication module 304, an identification module 306, and aunique identification (ID) 308. The communication module 304 may beimplemented in hardware as a part of the mobile phone. For example, thephone 300 may be equipped with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and WLAN capabilities.Any of these may therefore be utilized to establish a connection to thehotel media system 100 via either a guest accessible network 108, publicnetwork 160, or other available access port. In this configuration,control of the mobile phone 300 is performed by a custom media controlapplication 152 having been previously installed. However, as mentionedabove, the invention may alternatively operate utilizing a web interfaceor the application 152 may be downloaded and installed as a part of theconnection procedure. Compiled, semi-compiled code such as a Java orinterpreted code such as JavaScript may also be utilized to perform therole of the media control application 152.

As an example of beneficial usage, as shown in FIG. 2, the authorizedsubset of the controllable devices 150 for the mobile phone 300 mayinclude at least a PVR of a hotel room (hotel room 101 in FIG. 3).Therefore, the UI 312 of the mobile phone 300 shows an interactiveprogram guide (IPG) of content available on the hotel's media system 100as recordable by the PVR of room 101. Note that different rooms in thehotel may have different available content, and part of the statusinformation sent from the hotel media system 100 to the mobile phone 300included the content that was actually recordable by the PVR in room101. An operator of the mobile phone 300 may schedule the PVR of room101 to record content listed on the IPG by interacting with the UI 312of the mobile phone 300. Corresponding commands will be sent from themobile phone 300 to the hotel media system 100 and the hotel mediasystem 100 will utilize these commands to operate the PVR of room 101.Additional status messages such as confirmation of the recording orconflict messages will be passed back to the UI 312 as required. In thisway, the mobile phone 300 may operate the PVR of room 101 from anylocation as long as a connection to the media system 100 is available.The mobile phone 300 may also be authorized to operate other in-roomcontrollable devices 130 and these other in-room controllable devices130 could be selected and controlled using the UI 312 in a similar way.In one configuration, the media system controller 110 transfers statusinformation to the mobile phone 300 such as data for displaying the IPGon the mobile phone 300 customized to list only the content that isavailable on the in-room controllable devices 130 of the guest'sregistered room. A benefit of such operation is a guest staying in abudget room will not see content listed on the IPG that is onlyavailable in other rooms of the hotel with higher entitlements.

Regarding additional features of the phone 300, the customization module304 of the mobile phone 300 receives the customization information sentfrom the customization module 114 of the media system controller 110.For example, a hotel branded logo 310 may be utilized by the mobilephone 300 to customize the UI 312 when operating the media system 100 ata particular hotel. The ID module 306 is responsible for identifying themobile phone 300 to the hotel media system 100 and may also storeidentification information that needs to be remembered forauthentication purposes. For example, a pass code that a guest was givenat check-in for authenticating their mobile device(s) 150 may be storedwithin the ID module 306. The ID module 306 may also automatically passa unique ID 308 such as the GSM SIM card number, MAC address, softwareserial number, or browser cookie to the authentication module 112 of thehotel's media system controller 110 to allow determination of theauthorized controllable devices.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary operational flowchart 400 of the mobile phone 300of FIG. 3. The mobile phone 300 of FIG. 3 is taken as an example butsimilar steps may also apply to the other mobile devices 150 of FIG. 1.The steps of flowchart 400 are not restricted to the exact order shown,and, in other configurations, shown steps may be omitted or otherintermediate steps added. In this configuration, the mobile phone 300performs the following operations:

-   -   Step 402: The mobile phone 300 may automatically detect the        existence of the hotel media system by recognizing a hotel Wi-Fi        access point by service set identifier (SSID), recognizing a        cell tower identification that is near the hotel, determining        the mobile phone 300 is physically located near a predetermined        GPS coordinate corresponding to the geographic location of the        hotel as detected by a GPS unit (not shown) of the mobile phone        300, detecting a hotel's Bluetooth network or infrared signal,        establishing a wired connection with the hotel's Ethernet or DSL        system, or by simply recognizing broadcast packets from the        hotel that are received on one of the mobile phone's 300 network        interfaces at communication module 304. The SSIDs, cell tower        IDs, GPS coordinates, and formats of broadcast packets of        various hotels may be preprogrammed as a part of the media        control application 152 or may be stored remotely such as at a        publically accessible Internet site that is periodically        accessed by the application 152. In a manual configuration, an        operator of the mobile phone 300 may manually specify or select        the network interface and destination hotel name or address such        as a domain name that corresponds to the hotel. This may be        beneficial if the guest is not physically near the hotel and is        instead accessing the hotel media system 100 through a public        network 160 such as the Internet.    -   Step 404: Once the hotel's media system 100 is detected, in one        configuration, the communication module 304 of the mobile phone        300 performs data communication with the hotel media system such        as by establishing a two-way data connection with the        communication module 116 of the hotel's media system controller        110. Again, this connection and the data transferred through the        connection may be encrypted for privacy. Other data        communication methods may also be utilized in other        configurations including connectionless datagram communication        types, for example.    -   Step 406: The mobile phone 300 customizes its user interface        according to the particular hotel and any customization        information that is received from the hotel. This may include        branding information such as the hotel logo 310, color schemes        or other elements.    -   Step 408: The ID module 306 identifies the mobile phone 300 to        the authentication module 112 of the hotel's media system        controller 100. Because the goal may actually be to identify the        user of the mobile phone 300, one method may be to query the        user of the mobile phone 300 to enter, via a UI prompt, their        name and room number and then pass this information to the hotel        media system 100. This user information could already be known        by the application so it could be done automatically without        requiring user interaction. (User had already entered their name        on the device and the room number was known at the time of        reservation.) For privacy and security reasons, it is not        necessary that any personal information be transmitted to the        media system 100 to perform authentication. Another method to        authenticate the mobile phone 300 would be via a MAC address or        GSM SIM card number of the user's device that was associated        with the guest during the reservation process. A registration        confirmation number could also be utilized. Another method may        be to authenticate with the media system 100 through a passkey        given out by an interface in the room (i.e. through the TV). Sub        steps 410 and 412 contain more information about identification        techniques and may be performed together in either order or only        one may be performed according to different configurations.    -   Step 410: The ID module 306 transmits a unique identifier of the        mobile device such as the mobile phone's GSM SIM card number or        MAC address to the authentication module 112.    -   Step 412: The ID module 306 transmits identification information        corresponding to a user of the mobile device to the        authentication module 112. The ID module 306 may first utilize        the UI 312 to query a user of the mobile phone for the        identification information and store it within the ID module        306, or the identification information may already be stored        within the ID module 306.    -   Step 414: The mobile phone 300 now displays the status        information received from the authorized subset of controllable        devices 150 and transmit commands to operate the authorized        subset of controllable devices 150. Each of the authorized        controllable devices 150 may be operated using a separate screen        on the UI 312 of the mobile phone if space is limited.        Alternatively, on a mobile device 150 such as a laptop computer,        all of the (or multiple) authorized controllable devices 150 may        be visible on a single screen.

FIG. 5 illustrates a hotel floor plan 500 having multiple controllabledevices 506, 508, 510, 512, 514 being remotely operated by variousmobile devices 530, 532, 534 according to another exemplaryconfiguration of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the hotel includes aplurality of guest rooms including a particular room 502 being shownwith an expanded view. As shown in the expanded view, installed in guestroom 502 are several in-room controllable devices including a STB 506,TV 508, PVR 510, and room control box 512; and installed in a conferenceroom 501 is an in-room controllable projector 514. Access ports for aguest accessible computer network 108 are distributed throughout thehotel including wireless access points (APs) 520 and a wired Ethernetconnection 522. In this example, there are three mobile devicesillustrated including a cell phone 530, a laptop computer 532, and atablet computer 534.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary data structure of a database 118 forperforming authentication of the mobile devices 530, 532, 534 of FIG. 5.The database structure 600 includes authentication data for each mobiledevice 530, 532, 534 organized in rows with a mobile device column 602indicating the particular mobile device name, a MAC address column 604indicating a unique ID being associated with the hardware of the mobiledevice, a registered rooms column 606 indicating one or more registeredguest rooms currently associated with the mobile device, and anauthorized subset of controllable devices column 610 indicating thesubset of the possible controllable devices 506, 508, 510, 512, 514 thatare authorized to be operated. As illustrated, in this configuration,the authorized subset of controllable devices column 610 includes thein-room controllable devices of the guest rooms included in theregistered rooms column 606. Other configurations of the database 118may also be utilized. For example, rather than (or in addition to) theMAC address column 604, a user information column may be included toassociate certain user information such as the guest's name or login IDwith one or more registered guest rooms and corresponding in-roomcontrollable devices.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary data structure of a multi-tableconfiguration of database 118 for performing authentication of themobile devices of FIG. 5. In this example, in-room device table 1000specifies the one or more in-room controllable devices of each guestroom. This table 1000 may be generally static and only change when theinstalled devices in one of the rooms is changed such as duringinstallation or system upgrades. Registered room table 1010 is utilizedto dynamically associate user identification information being passkeysin this example with one or more currently registered guest rooms. Table1010 may be updated as guests check in and out of the hotel and/orchange their room assignments. For example, the passkey for theconference room 501 may be changed with each booking so that users of afirst conference will not be able to use the same passkey to controldevices in the conference room 501 during a second conference. Likewise,the passkey associated with a particular guest room may be changed eachtime a new guest enters the room.

Rather than (or in addition to) the passkeys stored in user informationcolumn 1012, in another configuration, users may also be required toboth specify the correct passkey and other user information such as thename of a guest currently staying in the room. The authentication module112 receives identification information from a mobile device such as apasskey entered by the user or stored within the mobile device, queriesthe registered room table 1010 to determine the registered guest roomcurrently associated with the received identification information, andincludes in the authorized subset of the controllable devices for whichthe mobile device is authorized to operate at least the in-roomcontrollable devices of the registered guest room(s) as specified in thein-room device table 1000. Upon successful authentication of the mobiledevice using user information column 1012, a unique identifier of themobile device may also be stored and associated with one or moreregistered guest rooms so that the mobile device can be automaticallyauthenticated upon next usage according to the unique identifier ratherthan the passkey. Combinations of the database structures of FIG. 6 andFIG. 10 may also be utilized.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of how authenticationdata may be utilized by the hotel media system of FIG. 1. The steps ofthe flowchart are not restricted to the exact order shown, and, in otherconfigurations, shown steps may be omitted or other intermediate stepsadded. In this configuration, the hotel media system 100 performs thefollowing operations:

-   -   Step 1100: When a guest checks in to one of the rooms in the        hotel, control proceeds to step 1102. Other situations may also        be deemed equivalent to guest check-in such as when a guest        changes or upgrades to a different room.    -   Step 1102: The database 118 is populated with authentication        data. For example, authentication data such as the passkey in        the user information column 1012 and corresponding registered        room(s) in the currently registered room(s) column 1014 may be        generated and added to the registered room table 1010 at this        step. The same passkey may also be provided to the guest at the        front desk upon check-in, or may be selectively displayed when        needed on a display device in the guest's room such as the        in-room TV.    -   Step 1104: After data communications have been established        between the guest's mobile device and the media system        controller 110, the authentication module 112 receives ID        information from the mobile device. Continuing the above        example, the received ID information may include the passkey as        entered by the guest in order to prove they are the current        guest of one or more of the hotel rooms.    -   Step 1106: The authentication module 112 determines the        registered guest room currently associated with the        identification information. For example, the authentication        module 112 may perform a lookup operation matching the received        passkey with the same passkey stored in the user information        column 1012 of registered room table 1010. In this way, the        currently registered room(s) column 1014 on the matching row        indicates the registered guest room currently associated with        the passkey.    -   Step 1108: The authentication module then assigns the in-room        controllable devices of the registered guest room determined at        step 1106 to be the authorized subset for which the mobile        device is authorized to control. For example, the authentication        module 112 may perform a lookup operation to match the        registered guest room determined at step 1106 with the same        guest room stored in the guest room column 1002 of in-room        device table 1000. The matching row indicates the corresponding        in-room controllable devices in column 1004.    -   Step 1110: The media system controller operates the authorized        subset of the controllable devices determined at step 1108 in        dependence upon commands received from the mobile device. In        some situations involving simple commands such as volume control        or channel changes, there may not be any feedback returned to        the mobile device; however, preferably this step also involves        sending status information corresponding to the authorized        subset of the controllable devices to the mobile device. The        status information helps to allow the guest to operate the        in-room controllable devices even when the guest is away from        the registered room.    -   Step 1112: When the guest checks out of the registered guest        room, control proceeds to step 1114; otherwise, control returns        to step 1104.    -   Step 1114: The authentication data is removed from the database        in order to thereby de-authorize the guest's mobile devices from        continuing to operate the in-room devices. In this way, should        the same identification information be received at step 1104, it        will no longer be associated with the registered guest room at        step 1106.

In a modification of the above-described flowchart, rather thanpopulating the database 118 with the authentication data immediatelyafter guest check-in, the authentication information of step 1102 may bedynamically added to the database 118 when the passkey is displayed onthe display device in the registered guest room. In another example, theauthentication data stored in the database 118 at step 1102 maycorresponds to personal information of the guest dynamically added tothe database 118 when the guest checks in to the registered guest room.Other steps may also be added to the flowchart of FIG. 11. For example,additional authentication data associating the unique identifier of themobile device with the registered guest room may be dynamically added toa database table such as that illustrated in FIG. 6 when the guestregistered to the room first utilizes the mobile device to authenticatewith the media system controller 110.

Each mobile device 520, 532, 534 may operate the subset of thecontrollable devices for which it is authorized even when it is notlocated in the same room as the controllable device it is trying tooperate. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the cell phone 530 mayoperate the PVR 510 even while the cell phone 530 is located in thedining hall. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, in this example, all mobiledevices 530, 532, 534 may operate the projector 514 in the conferenceroom 501. This could be the situation because the operator of the cellphone 530 is a registered guest of room 502 and also a speaker of aconference, the operator of the laptop 532 may also be a speaker of theconference but is not staying at the hotel, and the tablet 534 may becarried by hotel staff to assist guests as needed and therefore isauthorized to operate all controllable devices 506, 508, 510, 512, 514in the hotel.

De-authorization of one or more controllable devices 506, 508, 510, 512,514 may be performed by modifying the database accordingly. For example,to de-authorize the cell phone 530 from controlling the STB 506, the STB506 may be removed from the authorized subset of controllable devicescolumn in the FIG. 6. In one configuration, de-authorization maycoincide with when the guest checks out of the registered guest room. Inanother configuration, it may also be useful to de-authorize aparticular controllable device 130 or mobile device 150 when aconference or other hotel event ends, when a specific time period ortime duration ends, during a specific time interval such as to disablestaff users from controlling devices during the evening or early morningso they don't accidentally disturb the guest, etc. Allowing a user tode-authorize themselves may also be useful in some instances such aswhen a guest wants to lend their mobile device 150 to a third party.

Furthermore, de-authorization of a controllable device may occur on adevice-level or a feature-level. For example when a guest checks out ofa hotel their mobile device 150 may be de-authorized to control the TVand other in-room devices 130 but may still be authorized to reviewtheir portfolio, message inbox, etc. In another example a mobile device150 may be de-authorized to watch or record certain TV channels due toparental lock control settings.

FIG. 7 illustrates the media system controller 110 of FIG. 1 beingdivided into a central controller 710 and a plurality of localcontrollers 720 according to another configuration of the invention. Inthis configuration, the central controller 710 includes a centralauthentication module 712, a central customization module 714, and acentral communication module 716; and each of the local controllers 720includes a local authentication module 722, a local customization module724, and a local communication module 726. The central controller 710may be located at an off-site location such as a media system vendorserver room, and each of the local controllers 720 may be locatedon-site at the various hotels incorporating the media system 100.Communication between the central controller 710 and the localcontrollers 720 may be via a direct link or may be through the publicnetwork 160. Encryption and/or virtual private network (VPN) links maybe utilized to ensure secure communication between the centralcontroller 710 and the various local controllers 720.

When a mobile device 150 connects to the media system controller 110 viathe public network 160, communication is first established with thecentral communication module 716. Customization and authentication maybe performed by the central controller 710 using the centralcustomization module 714 and the central authentication module 712according to techniques similar to what was already described above forFIG. 1. In this configuration, information in the database 118 in FIG. 1may also be located at the central location. Alternately, the modules712, 714, 716 in the central controller 710 may each operate in tandemwith the corresponding modules 722, 724, 726 in the local controller 720at the hotel for which the mobile device 150 is associated. Informationstored at the central controller may include a mapping of each knownmobile device 150 to a particular local controller 720. In the eventthat an unknown mobile device 150 connects to the central controller710, the central controller 710 may query the mobile device 150 toidentify to which hotel it is associated. This allows the centralcontroller 710 to create the mapping to the correct local controller 720and then the appropriate customization and authentication would occurutilizing the local customization module 724 and the localauthentication module 722 at the local controller 720 in that hotel.

FIG. 8 illustrates how commands received from a mobile device 150 may bepassed from the media system controller 110 to a set-top box 831 in aguest room in order to thereby control other controllable devices 130 inthe room. In FIG. 8, the arrows on the lines correspond to the directionof controlling commands received from the mobile device 150. In thisconfiguration, the STBs 831 operate as in-room controllers of the otherin-room controllable devices 130. The STB 831 also passes back statusinformation from each of the controllable devices 130 to the mediasystem controller 110, which forwards it back to the mobile devices 150.A benefit of this configuration is that an older generation media systemmay already have an existing network (or other available connections)850 in the hotel that can be utilized to connect a central locationhousing the media system controller 110 to all the various in-room STBs831. In this way, the media system controller 110 may perform theauthentication for all the mobile devices 150 and pass commands toin-room STBs. It should also be noted that the functions of STB 831 mayalso be integrated with one or more of the other controllable devices130. For example, a television or PVR may include STB functionalityembed therein.

FIG. 9 illustrates how commands from a mobile device 150 may be receiveddirectly by an in-room STB 931 in order to control other controllabledevices 130 in the room. The arrows in FIG. 9 again correspond to thedirection of controlling commands received from the mobile device 150.In this configuration, a STB 931 in a guest room includes anauthentication module 912, customization module 914, and a communicationmodule 916. The communication module 916 in the STB 931 may support anynumber of data modes including ports for a direct wired connection suchas USB, Ethernet, or Firewire; a wireless connection such as Wi-Fi orBluetooth, or any other type of connection. Mobile devices 150 connectto the STB 931 via a data connection 950 which could be either anetworked, direct, or indirect connection according to the modessupported by the communication module 916. Once connected thecustomization module 914 and authentication module 912 operate similarto as described above for FIG. 1 to perform customization andauthentication functions. In some configurations, the STB 931 maycommunicate to a media system controller 110 (see FIG. 1) to support thecustomization and authentication functions. In other configurations, theSTB 931 may perform these functions itself. For example, authenticationmay be performed via a passkey that is generated and displayed on a TV130 by the STB 931. The mobile device 150 then transmits the samepasskey back to the STB 931 to thereby prove its operator is authorizedto operate all the in-room controllable devices 130, 931. In this way,in-room authentication may be performed without requiring assistancefrom the media system controller 110. Customization information may bepre-stored in the STB 931, and may also be determined automatically bythe STB 931 according to which other controllable devices 130 arecoupled to the STB 931. In this way, a plurality of authenticationmodules 912, customization modules 914, and communication modules 916may be distributed in the STBs 931 of the various guest rooms in thehotel.

According to the invention, guests may operate the hotel's media systemfrom the guest's own mobile device. In doing so, there are at least fourmajor benefits:

1. Familiar Hardware Platform and User Interface

Guests often bring their own laptops, mobile phones, tablet computers,music players and other mobile devices with them as they travel. Suchguests are typically also very familiar and comfortable with the userinterface and operation of their own devices, and since they carry theequipment with them, there are no new hardware systems to learn as theystay in different hotels.

2. One Mobile/Web Application for Multiple Hotels

A media system control application 152 for controlling the hotel mediasystems 100 may be provided for users to install on the mobile platform150 of their choice. The application 152 may appear and operate the sameat all hotels. Alternatively, different hotels or chains may varycertain elements of the application related to branding such as logosand color schemes, or enable additional features and functions. Becauseone mobile application 152 may be used to control multiple hotels, basicfunctionality may be substantially the same or at least very similar atmultiple hotels. This allows the user to reuse their already-learnedknowledge to operate different media systems 100 at different hotels.Similarly, a consistent web interface may be provided across hotels.

Additionally, the mobile application and web interface may also providedevice-specific Help information to the guest. Having 1-click Helpfunctionality built into the mobile or web app ensures users always havea quick resource available to answer their “how does this device work?”or “how do I use this?” questions. For example, the media system 100 mayinclude a general overview of how a PVR system works that would beavailable at any time, as well as a PVR-specific help button availableon the IPG page that would lead the guest through the specific steps torecord and watch TV shows on a particular system.

3. Guest can Operate in-Room Controllable Devices Even when not in Room

Because most users' mobile devices 150 include some kind of wireless orwired communication technology, once authorized by a hotel's mediasystem 100, there is nothing stopping the guest from operating the mediasystem 100 even when the guest is outside of their registered room. Thatis, no matter where the guest is physically located, as long as somekind of a connection to the hotel media system 100 is available, theguest may control in-room and other hotel equipment 130 from theirmobile device 150. One example is, while eating dinner in the hotel'srestaurant, the guest may view the IPG for the television in the guest'sroom and choose programs to record for later viewing when they arefinished eating. The recording could take place on a PVR installedwithin the guest's room, or may be done at a network-PVR installedanywhere in the hotel's media system 100. Recorded programs may then beviewed later in the guest's room or even via the mobile device itself ifbandwidth and multimedia capabilities of the network and mobile deviceare sufficient. Any menus or other control elements for devices of thehotel media system 100 in the guest's room may also be controlled fromthe guest's mobile device. Examples include in-room STB, PVR,television, audio system, room lights, AC/heater, etc. In-roomcontrollable devices also include devices that are physically installedat other locations in the hotel but are controllable from within theguest's registered room such as the network PVR 130 of FIG. 1.

4. Multiple Authorized Devices and Controllers

There can be more than one authorized mobile device 150 that is allowedto control a single controllable device 130. For example, a conferenceor meeting room 104 will often have multiple “guests” and the hotelmedia system 100 may allow more than one person to control something inthe room. One mobile device 150 may be able to do everything, one mayonly do the audio, one may only do the lights, etc. In other words,there can be more than one authorized user per controllable device at atime. Another example would be a Hotel staff member or Support Agentauthorizing a device in order to assist a customer/guest if necessary.Once the state of a particular controllable device 130 changes, updatedstatus information will be sent to all mobile devices authorized tooperate that controllable device.

In another configuration, the invention may be utilized to interfacewith other hotel functions that are not a part of the entertainmentsystem. For example, with reference to FIG. 1, the hotel media system100 may also be for allowing a guest to perform check-in and check-outfunctions from their mobile device 150. In this configuration, the mediasystem controller 110 may update the information in the database 118when the guest either checks in or checks out from their mobile device.The database 118 may be a part of the hotel's PMS and therefore theguest's mobile device 150 is in effect operating the PMS. The hotel'sPMS may also be utilized by the authentication module 112 fordetermining the authorized subset of the controllable devices for whicha mobile device is authorized to control. In general, the mobile devices150 may be authorized by the media system controller 110 to operate anytype of controllable device 130. User authentication may play a role onwhat operations are available for particular controllable devices 130.

Another benefit is either a media system vendor or a particular hotelcan push automatic updates to the guest using the mobile application.For example, the hotel could push out ads or information about upcomingsales, etc. This could be as either a content update of the app, or evena new software version that would automatically trigger the mobiledevice to inform the user that an update is available. Messages andannouncements may also be transferred to user's mobile devices.

A further advantage is the hospitality media system may automaticallyauthorize a user to use a mobile device to control the in-room devicesin the room(s) for which the user is currently registered. When the roomis no longer registered to the user, the media system may automaticallyde-authorize the user from controlling in-room devices. The process maythen repeat with each future guest staying in the room. This is highlybeneficial for hospitality locations such as hotels that may havethousands of rooms including guest rooms, meeting rooms, and conferencerooms, and continuously arriving and departing guests, each of who maybring one or more mobile devices they wish to use to operate in-roomcontrollable devices during their stay at the hotel.

In summary, a hospitality media system includes a media systemcontroller and a plurality of controllable devices operable by the mediasystem controller, each of a plurality of rooms having one or morein-room controllable devices. A communication module performs datacommunications with a mobile device. An authentication module receivesidentification information from the mobile device, determines aregistered room currently associated with the identificationinformation, and includes in an authorized subset of the controllabledevices for which the mobile device is authorized to operate at leastthe in-room controllable devices of the registered room. The mediasystem controller operates the authorized subset of the controllabledevices in dependence upon commands received from the mobile device.

In the above description, the exemplary user indication of “guest”refers to current guests in the hotel, people who are attending aconference or meeting in the hotel, staff members at the hotel, or anyother person or user who may need or want to operate a hospitality mediasystem. Future guests that have reservations, potential future gueststhat don't yet have reservations, and other users may also be givenaccess for certain in-room functions. For example, a demonstration ofthe technology may be available in the hotel lobby and all users wouldbe able to utilize their own mobile devices 150 to control in-roomcontrollable devices 130 installed in the lobby in order to try out thesystem 100. Additionally, it is not necessary that the users bring theirown mobile device 150. In another configuration, the mobile device 150may be provided to the user by the hotel. It should also be noted thatthe term “mobile” is utilized to mean the device is capable of beingmoved. Although portable devices that are easily carried are anticipatedby the inventors as being particularly useful, it is not a strictrequirement that the mobile devices be easily carried. Other devicessuch as desktop computers that are of a more permanent nature may alsoact as mobile devices in conjunction with the invention.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it should be understood that various modifications,additions and alterations may be made to the invention by one skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims. For example, although the invention hasbeen described as being utilized at a hotel, the invention is equallyapplicable to any hospitality related location or service wishing toprovide users with a media system including but not limited to hotels,motels, resorts, hospitals, apartment/townhouse complexes, restaurants,retirement centers, cruise ships, busses, airlines, shopping centers,passenger trains, etc. The invention may also be utilized to controlother systems and services outside a hotel's media system. For example,hotel's PMS, reporting, or administration systems. The various separateelements, features, and modules of the invention described above may beintegrated or combined into single units. Similarly, functions of singleelements, features, and modules may be separated into multiple units.The modules may be implemented as dedicated hardware modules, and themodules may also be implemented as one or more software programsexecuted by a general or specific purpose processor to cause theprocessor to operate pursuant to the software program to perform theabove-described module functions. For example, the media systemcontroller 110 of FIG. 1 may be implemented by a computer server havingone or more processors 170 executing a computer program loaded from astorage media 172 to perform the functions of the authentication module110, communication module 116, and/or the customization module 114. Inaddition to a dedicated physical computing device, the word “server” mayalso mean a service daemon on a single computer, virtual computer, orshared physical computer, for example. Unless otherwise specified,features described may be implemented in hardware or software accordingto different design requirements. Additionally, all combinations andpermutations of the above described features and configurations may beutilized in conjunction with the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hospitality media system comprising: a mediasystem controller; a plurality of controllable devices accessible fromwithin a plurality of rooms of a hospitality establishment, thecontrollable devices coupled to the media system controller by acomputer network and preconfigured such that each of the controllabledevices is in communication with and remotely operable by the mediasystem controller via the computer network; and a database storing anassociation between each of the rooms and one or more of thecontrollable devices that are accessible to a user within each room, theone or more of the controllable devices that are accessible within aparticular room hereinafter referred to as in-room controllable devicesof the particular room; wherein the media system controller is operableto: generate a passkey in response to an occurrence of a first eventassociated with the particular room without establishing datacommunications with a mobile device operated by a user of the particularroom; store in the database an association between the passkey and theparticular room; cause the passkey to be displayed on a display devicelocated within the particular room, whereby after being displayed in theparticular room the passkey is entered into the mobile device by theuser of the particular room; establish data communications with themobile device and receive the passkey from the mobile device; query thedatabase to find the particular room currently associated with thepasskey received from the mobile device, whereby the particular roomcurrently associated with the passkey is found to be the particular roomin which the passkey was displayed; query the database to find thein-room controllable devices of the particular room found associatedwith the passkey received from the mobile device; include in anauthorized subset of the controllable devices for which the mobiledevice is authorized to operate at least the in-room controllabledevices of the particular room found associated with the passkeyreceived from the mobile device; operate the authorized subset of thecontrollable devices in dependence upon commands received from themobile device until an occurrence of a second event associated with theparticular room; and remove from the database the association betweenthe passkey and the particular room in response to the occurrence of thesecond event.
 2. The hospitality media system of claim 1, wherein thefirst event corresponds to a guest checking in to the particular roomand the second event corresponds to the guest checking out of theparticular room.
 3. The hospitality media system of claim 1, wherein thefirst event corresponds to a guest entering the particular room and thesecond event corresponds to a new guest entering the particular room. 4.The hospitality media system of claim 1, wherein the second eventcorresponds to an end time of a conference or other event at thehospitality establishment.
 5. The hospitality media system of claim 1,wherein the second event automatically occurs a specific time durationafter the first event.
 6. The hospitality media system of claim 1,wherein media system controller is further operable to randomly generatethe passkey in response to the occurrence of the first event associatedwith the particular room.
 7. The hospitality media system of claim 1,wherein the media system controller is further operable to transferstatus information corresponding to the authorized subset of thecontrollable devices to the mobile device.
 8. The hospitality mediasystem of claim 7, wherein the status information includes data fordisplaying an interactive program guide on the mobile device customizedto list only content that is available on the in-room controllabledevices of the particular room.
 9. The hospitality media system of claim1, wherein the media system controller is further operable to: transfercustomization information specific to the hospitality establishment to apredetermined application running on the mobile device after aconnection to the mobile device has been established; wherein thepredetermined application is compatible with and may be customized by aplurality of different hospitality establishments.
 10. The hospitalitymedia system of claim 1, wherein the media system controller is furtheroperable to authorize a plurality of mobile devices to operate a singlecontrollable device.
 11. The hospitality media system of claim 1,wherein the media system controller is further operable to include inthe authorized subset the in-room controllable devices of a plurality ofrooms of the hospitality establishment that are currently associatedwith the passkey in the database.
 12. The hospitality media system ofclaim 1, wherein the media system controller is further operable to:store in the database an association between a unique identifierreceived from the mobile device and the particular room afterdetermining the particular room currently associated with the passkeyreceived from the mobile device; and perform subsequent authenticationsof the mobile device according to the unique identifier of the mobiledevice and its association with the particular room as looked up in thedatabase.
 13. A method of operating a plurality of controllable devicesaccessible from within a plurality of rooms of a hospitalityestablishment, the controllable devices coupled to a media systemcontroller by a computer network and preconfigured such that each of thecontrollable devices is in communication with and remotely operable bythe media system controller via the computer network, the media systemcontroller having a database storing an association between each of therooms and one or more of the controllable devices that are accessible toa user within each room, the one or more of the controllable devicesthat are accessible within a particular room hereinafter referred to asin-room controllable devices of the particular room; the methodcomprising: generating a passkey in response to an occurrence of a firstevent associated with the particular room without establishing datacommunications with a mobile device operated by a user of the particularroom; storing in the database an association between the passkey and theparticular room; displaying the passkey on a display device locatedwithin the particular room, whereby after being displayed in theparticular room the passkey is entered into the mobile device by theuser of the particular room; establishing data communications with themobile device and receiving the passkey from the mobile device; queryingthe database to find the particular room currently associated with thepasskey received from the mobile device, whereby the particular roomcurrently associated with the passkey is found to be the particular roomin which the passkey was displayed; querying the database to determinethe in-room controllable devices of the particular room found associatedwith the passkey received from the mobile device; including in anauthorized subset of the controllable devices for which the mobiledevice is authorized to operate at least the in-room controllabledevices of the particular room found associated with the passkeyreceived from the mobile device; operating the authorized subset of thecontrollable devices in dependence upon commands received from themobile device until an occurrence of a second event associated with theparticular room; and removing from the database the association betweenthe passkey and the particular room in response to the occurrence of thesecond event.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first eventcorresponds to a guest checking in to the particular room and the secondevent corresponds to the guest checking out of the particular room. 15.The method of claim 13, wherein the second event automatically occurs aspecific time duration after the first event.
 16. The method of claim13, wherein the first event corresponds to needing to display thepasskey within the particular room.
 17. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising storing in the database the association between the passkeyand the particular room when the passkey is displayed on the displaydevice located within the particular room.
 18. The method of claim 13,wherein: the hospitality establishment is a hotel, and the controllabledevices are audio/visual entertainment devices accessible from guestrooms of the hotel.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising computer executable instructions that when executed by acomputer cause the computer to perform the method of claim
 13. 20. Amedia system controller for operating a plurality of controllabledevices accessible from within a plurality of rooms of a hospitalityestablishment, the controllable devices coupled to the media systemcontroller by a computer network and preconfigured such that each of thecontrollable devices is in communication with and remotely operable bythe media system controller via the computer network; the media systemcontroller comprising: a database storing an association between each ofthe rooms and one or more of the controllable devices that areaccessible to a user within each room, the one or more of thecontrollable devices that are accessible within a particular roomhereinafter referred to as in-room controllable devices of theparticular room; and one or more processors operable to: generate apasskey in response to an occurrence of a first event associated withthe particular room without establishing data communications with amobile device operated by a user of the particular room; store in thedatabase an association between the passkey and the particular room;cause the passkey to be displayed on a display device located within theparticular room, whereby after being displayed in the particular roomthe passkey is entered into the mobile device by the user of theparticular room; establish data communications with the mobile deviceand receive the passkey from the mobile device; query the database tofind the particular room currently associated with the passkey receivedfrom the mobile device, whereby the particular room currently associatedwith the passkey is found to be the particular room in which the passkeywas displayed; query the database to find the in-room controllabledevices of the particular room found associated with the passkeyreceived from the mobile device; include in an authorized subset of thecontrollable devices for which the mobile device is authorized tooperate at least the in-room controllable devices of the particular roomfound associated with the passkey received from the mobile device;operate the authorized subset of the controllable devices in dependenceupon commands received from the mobile device until an occurrence of asecond event associated with the particular room; and remove from thedatabase the association between the passkey and the particular room inresponse to the occurrence of the second event.